Oh? A little too much? Well, it's true. Experts estimate that 8-10 babies will die in Florida this year due to Severe Combined Immune Deficiency. Republican governor Rick Scott vetoed the testing to be "fiscally conservative." Read more about it here.
Again, politics has made it easy to be penny-wise and pound foolish. The measure would actually not only save lives, but also save money in the long run. Young babies can receive bone marrow transplants that will cure them and be relatively cost effective. Let's use the high-end bone marrow transplant cost estimate: $200,000 (according to the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link). If the child doesn't get the transplant, IVIG would be necessary. That can be $10,000/month or more. So, if treated early with BMT, there are very good outcomes for children with SCID. The ones who would get IVIG (if they lived that long)? Not good. Lots of hospitalizations and early deaths.
This just really doesn't make any sense. If you're interested, you can encourage Governor Rick Scott to follow the state's official advisory panel's unanimous recommendation here.
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